A Bit of this and that ~

It has been a very busy weekend. I have managed to get quite a few things accomplished.

I finally, finally, finally, finished painting the trim in the guest room and now I can hang the new drapes.

Hooray!

I got all of my favorite pink Zinnia seeds planted.

 This is the first time I have used one of these Pro-Hex trays. It comes with 72 planting cells, a tray to hold water, and a clear top to retain moisture and help germination. I should be able to plant the seedlings right into the garden without transplanting them first, which should be a real time saver.

Baked a batch of my favorite cookies.

 In my opinion, along with an early morning walk, having a homemade cookie to eat is a important ingredient for a good day, and chocolate chip cookies are definitely my favorite. I have made them so frequently that I don't even have to look at the recipe.

And, I went to the Chrysanthemum Show at the Arboretum.  

My hope is by fall these little starts will provide me with more gorgeous flowers like the ones in the picture below. Two of them are a pale yellow, Primrose Mt Shasta. and two of them are white, apply named, White City.

I am definitely experiencing chrysanthemum love.

I hope that your weekend is going well too.

Thank you for visiting.

Against the odds ~

The odds of successfully growing Clematis in our arid climate aren't very good. Nevertheless they were very fashionable here a few years ago and I of course succumbed and planted quite a few.

I have since come to my senses and no longer give into the temptation to plant more each year. The ones I do have perform fairly well but it is a bit of an uphill battle and now, especially considering our drought, when I put in new plants I try to pick things that fit better into our environment.

An exception to all the above is this wonderful Clematis Jackmanii you see below.

Each year with little care it scampers happily up the climbing rose by the front deck.

I must have picked just the right spot when I planted this. how else can I explain how well it performs.

Each flower is huge and such a wonderful color. 

Simply beautiful.

Thank you for visiting. I hope your day is full of wonder.

Options ~

I have wanted a birdcage stand for a while so when my brother found this one for me I was very pleased. I was sure I knew what I was going to do with it; use it as a plant stand on the back deck.  First it needed a coat of black paint to match the outdoor table and chairs.

I does make a nice fern stand...but then I got another idea, one I think I like even better.

Using it to hold a chalkboard. So I made a new chalkboard to fit it.

Chalkboards are so much fun and I can think of all sorts of messages to put on this one.

Of course the fern looks nice too, so I will probably change them out...which reminds me, somewhere in the barn there is an antique birdcage and I saw this one planted with succulents on Pinterest. What could be more fitting and this is truly lovely.

Who would think there would be so many options for a old birdcage stand.

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It seems that I haven't posted for a long time. I have been finishing up the drapes, building a little rock retaining wall, and trying to solve computer and telephone problems. Sometimes life seems to get in the way of blogging.

Have a happy day!

Cups of pink perfection ~

I have been so occupied making drapes that I haven't taken time to post, but this afternoon when I went outside I saw that my new David Austin, Alnwick roses are blooming for the first time.

They are so glorious I had to share them with you.

Perfect cups of pink perfection!

I have four bushes of these planted under the back deck, with luck and care they should only get better ~ such a lovely promise for the future.

Making drapes ~

Over the past few days I have been working on the new drapes for the guest room.

It has been a while since I have made drapes and I had forgotten what a chore it is to work with such large pieces of fabric.

So far I have the decorator fabric all cut out and sewn together in two large panels.

Now I will cut out and assemble the lining. The lining is much easier because there is no pattern to match. 

Next, I will sew the lining and the drapery fabric together, put on the headings, attach my gorgeous fringe trim, make the pleats, and attach the rings.

Then, voila! They will be ready to hang.

After this making these the new cover and pillows for the daybed should be a breeze.

Thank you for visiting.

Early morning ~

Early May morning in the garden

and the first blooms of this yellow iris, apply named,

Shoot the Moon.

I bought the rhizomes at a 75% discount late last winter out of a sale basket at my local Armstong's garden center.

I really think I got the best of the deal.

I hope your weekend is going well.

Mine is being spent weeding, and sewing on the drapes for the guest bedroom.